Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Agronomic: corn, sorghum sudangrass
Practices
- Animal Production: feed/forage
- Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, no-till, nutrient cycling, nutrient management
- Education and Training: participatory research
- Production Systems: agroecosystems
- Soil Management: nutrient mineralization, soil analysis, soil quality/health
Abstract:
Livestock production contributes to >40% of the agricultural economy in New Mexico. High yield and quality of forage provide the foundation for the success of the livestock-based economy. However, low water and nutrient use efficiency challenges sustaining forage-based agriculture in the southwestern region. Farmers often over-apply N fertilizer to increase forage productivity because of the high demand for feed and forage. Forage crops require a large amount of nutrients, specifically nitrogen (N). However, high N application rates in irrigated forage production systems can lead to N loss through leaching and runoff, thus posing serious threats to the environment and human health. In this study, we integrated cover crops in forage corn and sorghum systems and tested the N use efficiency compared to the control.
Our results showed that cover crops could reduce 78–89% of inorganic N in the soil profile (0–80 cm) compared to the control. However, they can recycle the N back, with the potential of 20–38 kg N ha-1 from aboveground biomass, and increase subsequent forage crop yield by 18–23% compared to the control. This information is valuable to farmers for optimizing N fertilizer rates by synchronizing N release from cover crop residue decomposition, leading to increased cash crop yield while minimizing environmental risks such as N leaching. Promising results from cover crop-integrated forage systems can benefit farmers and potentially boost adoption rates in the region.
Research findings from this study were shared with local farmers through farmer’s field day, regional conferences, and seminars, with a total of 214 participants, including agricultural professionals, researchers, students, and farmers.
Project objectives:
Research Objectives
- Estimate the soil inorganic N content using deep-profile water samples in a cover crop-integrated forage production system.
- Determine crop yield and N-use efficiency of forage crops.
Education/outreach Objectives
- Disseminate the project results to the local growers and the general audience (researchers, educators, students, and policymakers).